Cabrera cashes in at $1.4 million
Posted by: Peter Abraham - Posted in Misc on Jan 20, 2009 
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Melky Cabrera settled for $1.4 million from the Yankees.
He can earn an additional $100,000 in performance bonuses based on plate appearances: $25,000 each for 525, 550, 575 and 600.
Posted at end of last thread:
The Yanks offered a $1.1M raise and Melky actually wanted more than THAT?
Damn … if I can get hired as a beer vendor this year, how long before I can go to arbitration?
Easy money for a guy that’s more committed to the WBC than competing for a starting CF job.
I hope he plays well in the WBC, and is promptly traded… far, far away.
Wow! Hope Melky’s winter league play carries over. Maybe this will give him AND Brett Gardner some added incentive.
How does the Nady contract impact his trade value? Personally, I’d prefer to keep both Nady and Swisher – I love having dept. However, if the Yankees think that trading one will strengthen the team and be more beneficial than having both, I would prefer that Nady be the one to go.
I’m through with Andy. If he comes back to the Yankees and expresses how much he wants to return, I would consider adding incentives…..and I would encourage the Yankees to bend just a little. However, he’s very, very prideful – too much so- and I don’t think that will happen. The guy likes to be wined and dined (I thought he was very much in the wrong in 2003 – he knows how George worked, treating FAs better than his own players. If he had come back to the Yankees and told them how much he wanted to remain in pinstripes, he would have gotten his $$$. George is a sentimental man). That’s not happening here – the Yankees want him, but only to a certain point.
That said, the Yankees need to make a move ASAP with regards to their rotation. I am extremely uncomfortable with such an unsettled situation. Either take a chance with Sheets and hope to at least get 1/2 year from him (maybe Phil will be ready afterwards) or sign Garcia…..Right now, it doesn’t appear as if they have a plan (even though I believe they do).
I still don’t know what their plan is for CF – it will be a colossal joke if they go with Melky/Gardner again.
I hope Brett out plays Melky for the CF job.
YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I have not given up on Melky. Seems like the Yankees haven’t either!
Ok, what on earth are the Yankees smoking? Are they crazy? I think they are being financially responsible with Andy, but with Melky – they are being financially asinine.
I’ll have whatever the Yankees are smoking.
ladies and gentlemen,
your opening day starter in center field…. leche.
kd -
I’d have to agree with you. If salary is an indicator, the job is probably Melky’s to lose.
$1.4 million ….I would have offered him $1 mil & he would have taken it
Melky Cabrera deserves nothing even close to the figure he got.
Betsy, I will differ with you on this one. Last I looked 1.4 million was not a lot of money. Andy is going on 37, Melky is going on 25. Melky helped the Yankees to a postseason berth two years ago and was paid next to nothing. So maybe this is a “thank you for a job well done and by the way we still have faith in your ability.” While many posters here may have stopped watching Melky on the off season, the Yankees have not.
Melky had a down year, probably didn’t anticipate the work it takes to perform at the major league level once pitchers figure you out. He’s still fairly young, and he posted very solid numbers in winter league. Let’s see what kind of shape he shows up to in camp and how he plays in spring training. If he can bat .270 and take a few walks, you really dont need much more than that for him to be productive. Same for Gardener, he needs to be able to hit the ball at least a little bit for his speed to really be effective. He should watch some Ichiro tape.
Um. Wow!
“I’ll have what Melky is drinking”
if he signed for 1.4 million, i’ll bet he drinking champagne.
melky has it in him to be a decent major league player. he needs to have a good year and then probably be used in a win /win trade for everyone. he’s probably not good enough to be a long time yankee center fielder, but he has the potential to be a regular center fielder for some team.
I love that people are horrified that Melky is getting 1.4 million, yet are desperate for the Yankees to give Pettitte 12 million.
i wish i could underperform to my employers expectations and demand a raise
randy the only thing that remains to be seen is whether he has it in him to be the Yanks CF long term. I believe the jury may still be out. But I like the tenor of your post.
just wondering what Melky woulda got coming off last season if he were playing in KC or somewhere like that?
Oh it’s good to be a Yankee.
Hey jay, maybe if Melky had performed beautifully he would be receiving 3 mil right now.
Because you think it is an overpayment does not mean the Yankees do – obviously.
It appears that the Yankees are implementing their own economic stimulus package.
Melky is a 4th OF if that…but good for him on getting his pay rise
of more concern,spring training is just around the corner,and we have no 4th starter and a terrible bench
if we going with the youngsters surely they bring in a few decent vets to compete for that spot…Jason Johnson doesnt cut it
Verducci reports Pettitte is considering an offer less than the Yankees $10M to return to Houston.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.c.....ml?eref=T1
Verducci reports Pettitte is considering an offer less than the Yankees $10M to return to Houston.
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you show ‘em Andy. lol.
surprised houston wants the phony back…andy didnt leave houston on exactly good terms
and he going to be spending more time in the courts than on a mound
Melky is terrible. I remember when he was a fairly hyped prospect. This leads me to believe Austin Jackson may not be “all that,” as well.
Thank good for professional sports … the only industry in which you can do a completely sub-par job and get a raise of upto 4x your previous salary.
I hope he puts up an orphanage or two in the Dominican.
“you show ‘em Andy. lol.”
Actually with the Clemens grand jury looming and the possible defamation trial on the horizon, Andy probably would do himself a favor by not returning to the Yankees. He will probably confront a lot less press distraction there. If what Verducci is reporting is true, I have to believe that the Clemens fiasco may have at least played a part in Andy’s decision.
And for all we know, the Yankees may have actually taken their offer off the table altogether.
“It appears that the Yankees are implementing their own economic stimulus package.”
yeah, the new york fed just gave them permission to print 100 dollar bills with jeter’s face on them. the yankees wanted to back the new bills with the gold on the monuments and on all the championship trophies, but the fed nixed it saying money that’s backed by something of value is so passe.
having melky means he can move to LF or RF when jackson comes up. We need young outfielders and if melky can perform, he can be one of those 20s outfielders in 2010.
“It appears that the Yankees are implementing their own economic stimulus package.”
lol.
Tex -
I agree.
Tex’s New Best Friend
January 20th, 2009 at 7:24 pm
having melky means he can move to LF or RF when jackson comes up. We need young outfielders and if melky can perform, he can be one of those 20s outfielders in 2010.
LOL….that aint happening
leche amarga
Can we first see if Ajax can hit .300 in AAA and strikeout less before giving him centerfield IN 2010? We’re here thrashing Melky and he hit over .300 both stints in AAA.
Always being the last poster (just about) to give up on a player, I am very happy that Melky got what he did.
When Melky was sent down, a lot of us wondered if it was to break up the Melky-Robby tandem since they had gotten press for going out and partying late into the night and were not seen as taking their jobs seriously. We all saw what happened to Robby once Melky was sent down! He achieved.
So the Yankees have been watching Melky since then. Maybe they believe the Melky they saw in 2007 is the real Melky and figure that he may have gotten religion the way Robby did once they were separated. He apparently has not been a slouch or they would not have offeredc him what they did.
You have to trust that they know what they are doing and the reasons for doing it. (And in terms of payroll, come on. We’re not talking a heck of a lot of money!)
there is reason to believe he can play. he is a good outfielder, and hit really well in april last year.
randy l January 20th, 2009 at 7:23 pm
“It appears that the Yankees are implementing their own economic stimulus package.”
yeah, the new york fed just gave them permission to print 100 dollar bills with jeter’s face on them. the yankees wanted to back the new bills with the gold on the monuments and on all the championship trophies, but the fed nixed it saying money that’s backed by something of value is so passe.
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lol and lol.
but I better check and make sure it isn’t true…
Cashman must have some faith in this guy to improve the salary so. Perhaps we shall see what was missing in 08′; the eye of the tiger (forgive me Sly!).
Tantron – I agree. Despite the fact I am the eternal optimist, I believe we are going to see Melky at the top of his game. He knows what can happen if he doesn’t give it his all. I don’t think he wants to visit that again!
Melky Cabrera will be one of the pieces used in any need seen fit by Brian Cashman over the course of the 2009 season.
Melky was cruising in WB before Daniel Cabrera – no, really? – took him out of action.
It wasn’t so much the .385 average, which is nice, it was more about the 206-like mechanics. No reason this kid can’t hit well enough to take back center field.
Let the competition begin!
2006-like^^
This is really not that big of a deal – first year of arbitration, made $461,000 last year.
In arbitration, your salary will pretty much never go down. The Yankees were looking at a $1 million payday regardless…I don’t think this has anything to do with faith or anything like that.
And I don’t think $1.4M guarantees him anything. The Yankees have paid guys a lot more than that to sit on the bench. Jose Molina, Morgan Ensberg, etc.
Wilson Betemit went through arbitration for the first time last year – and his salary went from $400,000 to $1.2 million. The Yankees didn’t exactly give him a starting job based on that.
This would make it seem to me anyway that Melky is the favorite to be the starting CF.
PRAWN15
January 20th, 2009 at 6:32 pm
Melky is now useless AND expensive.—————————————————————
Bullseye, Prawn.
Send Melky to live “in a van, down by the river”….take his money – and give it to Andy & get him on board !!!
Un-flippin’- believeable !!!
Now even his “little cute name” isn’t cute anymore…
Where’s Bubba Crosby, Gerald Williams, & Karim Garcia ???
(better than Mulky)
That’s great news. Put up or shut up Melky!
I’ll give him one more shot. Clean slate.
this is GREAT for the melk man. I really wouldn’t have wanted to see him get traded to the milwaukee…. with larry bowa gone, Melky is robbie’s best friend… they’re great influences on eachother..
I think the 08 season for melky and cano was just the result of the “high” of being a big leaguer, a yankee none the less…. they’ve realized it’s all about the results and I don’t doubt their renewed committment to the club and producing for 09.
Cheers for the melk man!
He plays himself out of a job and yet his salary is tripled. Unbelievable.
PA,
SInce we’re on the subject of Melky here, do you have any sort of information on his health, after being plunked by Cabrera?
I believe he did not play in the last five games for Aguilas, and was incorrectly listed as a pinch runner in one of those games (apparently Aguilas has a player with a similar name).
I’ve not seen one report on the state of his health. He took a wicked shot off the front of the arm, near the elbow, or so it appeared. Any information would be appreciated.
I’m looking forward to having a breakout year.
^^^just keep it short and sweet and you will.
I hope the melk man delivers this year.
Melky is and always will be a bum!
Melky has one of the worst seasons out of anyone in the majors, gets demoted to AAA… And then receives almost a million dollar raise. Something is not right with this picture.